We took a boat up the Thames to the Royal Observatory. The day started out a bit raw, but it cleared up nicely after we got off the water. Naturally, an observatory is going to be on a hill, so up we went, past the Cutty Sark, past the Old Naval College, past the National Maritime Museum. I’m sensing a theme here.
The views from the top of the hill are quite nice now that the weather has cleared. This is about as close to touristy as we’re going to get on this trip, so we’re competing for viewing space with the usual school tour groups and out-of-towners. (Yeah, I know, and they all think we are the tourists!)
Constructed beginning in 1675, this is a fine old building. It just has that feel of something handmade. The museum is nice, and really drives home how important timekeeping is to astronomy. There are tons of fascinating precision clocks to observe in action. Again, all handmade. And even though the Prime Meridian is actually 102 meters east, we’ll call the meridian line at the observatory close enough for the 17th century!
Time for lunch! We head back down the hill to pick up some fish and chips. It’s warmed up nicely, so we move towards the river and eat our local fare in the shadow of the Cutty Sark.
No famous people are immortalized in this shot. They were hiding behind the school group from Germany.
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